Mom's Buns

These have been a family favourite for over 50 years. I would classify this dough as a brioche due to the butter and eggs and as a result, this is also a great dough for sweet treatments like cinnamon buns. Many people shy away from baking bread but these are worth the effort. I use this recipe for dinner rolls, burger buns and sandwiches. I bet you can't eat just one!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 c warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp traditional yeast (not instant)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 2 c milk
  • 1 1/2 c cold water
  • 3 eggs
  • 10 c white flour

‍

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of sugar in the warm water.
  2. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set aside until the yeast activates (it will get frothy).
  3. Microwave the milk, 1/2 c of sugar and butter until the butter melts.
  4. Add the salt to the milk and stir well.
  5. Add the cold water to the milk.
  6. Beat the 3 eggs with a hand mixer, add it to the the yeast mixture and then add the milk mixture.
  7. Add 5 c of flour to the wet ingredients and using a wooden spoon, incorporate the flour and beat the mixture until tiny bubbles begin to rise.
  8. Add the remaining 5 c of flour and once incorporated, scrape the dough out of the bowl and knead it on the counter top until a soft dough is formed. If it's a bit sticky you can knead in a bit more flour.
  9. Wash the bowl and coat it with a small amount of canola or olive oil.
  10. Put the dough ball back into the bowl and rub a bit of oil on the top of the dough.
  11. Cover the dough with plastic wrap (right on the surface of the dough) and then cover with a tea towel.
  12. Leave this to rise in a warm place about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
  13. Punch it down gently and turn it out onto the counter.
  14. Form the buns (70g is a nice size for a dinner roll and 90g is good for a hamburger).
  15. Put the buns on a cookie sheet or cake pan.
  16. Let the buns rise another hour (also covered with a tea towel).
  17. Bake at 350 F for about 15 mins or until nice and brown.
  18. When they come out of the oven, brush the tops with butter.
  19. Cool before freezing.

TIPS & HINTS

It's very important that the water to activate the yeast is nice and warm but not hot. That also goes for the milk that gets added to the yeast mixture. Hot liquids will kill the yeast so ensure that milk has cooled before you add it (you need to be able to put your finger into it and oeave it there comfortablly).